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Thursday, March 26, 2015

I love to cook and I adore cookbooks but I've never reviewed one before. When I saw the awesome selection to choose from on Blogging for Books I knew that I had to try it. I am so pleased with this book!

Pure Food - Eat Clean with Seasonal, Plant-Based Recipes by Veronica Bosgraaf is perfect for someone like me who loves to curl up and actually read a cookbook. It has a section on building a "pure" pantry that is full of information and each recipe has tips and info along the side of the page. The book is soft and floppy (which is an important trait for a cookbook, in my mind) and the recipes are in an easy to read, step-by-step format. It doesn't have pictures on every page but the photos it does have are stunning.

Unlike other cookbooks I've used, this one is not divided by recipe types. It is divided by the seasons. Each month has a handful of recipes that correspond with what's in season and a sample menu. It took me a little while to get used to it but it works well for the vision of this particular book.

I've only had the book for a week so I haven't made all the recipes but I did try a few. I am not vegan, I just like whole foods, so I did substitute a few ingredients for things I had on hand. I made Warm Blueberry Buckwheat with Hazelnuts ( I didn't have hazelnuts... I need to get some and make this again) and it was comforting and delicious. My kids ate it relatively well and I can't believe that I'd never thought of buckwheat for breakfast before.

I also made Irish Hash. Oh. Wow. I didn't know veggies could be so good. It is chock full of potatoes, cabbage and other produce. I plan on making this often. It was so quick and easy.
The final recipe that I've tried so far is Grandma's Blueberry Buckle. This was easily my children's favorite dish out of the three. It was pretty, tasty and huge.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys cooking simple but delicious recipes using healthful ingredients.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review from Blogging for Books.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

WHAT I'M READING Are you sure that you want to know? It might take awhile... I'm currently working through Great Expectations. I'm going for a chapter a day but its more sporadic then that. I'm also reading Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Greir and Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly and... Yeah, I sorta started Inherit Midnight too. I try to keep a book of poetry and book on writing craft going at all times. Right now I'm reading The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson and A Dash of Style. My kids and I finished reading The Secret Garden this week and are now finishing The Princess and the Goblin. I had set it aside for awhile because it was challenging for me to read it in an entertaining way and I thought I should wait until they were older but they begged me to finish it :) I guess it isn't over their heads after all. WHAT I'M WRITING (+ WRITING GOAL) I'm still making a spreadsheet to track several key elements in my fairytale WIP. It's already pages and pages long... It's helping me understand what needs to be done and learn the stories weak points but I just want it done already!My goal is to work on it every day until it's done, even if I only have five minutes. WHAT WORKS FOR ME Exercising in the afternoon. It might not sound related to writing but it gives me the energy to stay awake when I have time to write. WHAT ELSE IS NEW I'm attempting a small container garden and a few flowers this year. I'm used to gardening where the ground stays frozen until April so gardening in Florida is a totally different adventure. I can't get over all the bugs and toads I find every time I turn my spade in the earth.

Monday, March 9, 2015

I love Jody Hedlund's adult novels so when I heard that she was looking for a team to promote her new YA release I applied and got accepted. Yay!
So, on to my review of An Uncertain Choice!

(isn't it pretty!?!)

First thoughts: I wish this book had been written I was a young teen! I loved anything and everything medieval, especially when a spunky princess was involved.

What it's about: Rosemarie cares deeply for her kingdom and throws everything she has into their well being. Even though her parents made a vow that she would have to join the convent when when she turns eighteen she cheerfully makes plans for how she can best serve her people from the inside of it's walls. One month before her birthday everything turns upside-down. A trusted friend arrives bearing the news that he has found a loop hole. If she is married before the sun goes down on her eighteenth birthday she does not have to fulfill the vow. To help Rosemarie have a chance at love, the friend has brought with him his three most trusted knights. With three men trying to win her hand Rosemarie must decide which path God intends for her to take, all while something sinister seems to be lurking beneath it all.

What I liked about it: I loved that Rosemarie was sweet and pure yet had a headstrong streak at the same time. The knights portrayed various personalities and showed something of what is important in a real relationship.

What I didn't like: While I enjoyed the book, I wish the characters had been a bit more detailed.

Who I would recommend it to: Anyone who loves clean, inspirational fiction would enjoy this story but I think that young teen girls would be particularly drawn to it.

What parent's might want to know: This is a very clean and moral book. It is sweet yet exciting. The only thing that I can think of is that there are a few descriptions of medieval torture. They aren't overly detailed and are integral to the story.

I received a copy of this book from the author and her publishing team.
Jody's blog is full of information for writer's. If you haven't already checked it out, I highly recommend it. She is also having a Noble Knight's Blog tour. You can check it out here.